Torsion action exerciser



Dec. 18, 1962 J. v. MELCHIONA 3,069,161

TORSION ACTION EXERCISER Filed Nov. 30, 1959 Q I a mum 1 FIGURE 2 neuna a ps f9 5 FGUQE 4. FIGURE 5 IN VEN TOR.

hg y wk United States Patent 3,069,161 TORSION ACTION EXERCISER James V. Melchiona, 6724 Menz Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Nov. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 856,292 3 Claims. (Cl. 272-67) The present invention relates to an improved exercise unit designed for the development of the muscles in the fingers, hands, wrists and arms. It is the main object of this invention to provide a unit that accomplishes this without the necessity of adjustments or additions of some sort to give the unit a graduated resistance function. This is accomplished by the construction of the unit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unit that any person of any strength can attain maximum resistance to the muscles involved by using the same unit. They can reach their maximum point of contraction to the muscles involved gradually, as the unit in its normal position starts with little resistance, but builds up to an immovable position.

This rigid, or torqued position, is obtained by the action of the handles and a connecting member as described further in the drawings and detailed descriptions.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings which are merely illustrations of the preferred embodiment, for instance, a reinforcing insert of metal can be molded inside of the connecting member of the molded unit to give greater resistance.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view looking at the unit showing the hand grips on handles and the center part or connecting member with its flat part shown.

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the handles and the edge of the connecting member 8.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the connecting member in its operative twisted torqued position.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a modification of the handles showing elongated instead of round handles with a metal connecting member secured to them.

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 taken thru the connecting member in FIG. 4 showing a slot 7 into which one end of the connecting member 6 is secured permanently or removably.

In FIG. 1 is shown a molded unit of rubber or similar compressible material the handles being formed round and the connecting member 8 being elongated and fiat. A view of the same unit is shown in FIG. 2 showing the flexible connecting member 8 from its edge or side. FIG. 3 shows the same side view as FIG. 2 after the handles have been twisted, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise, to attain the torqued rigid position as shown.

As can be ascertained in the functioning of this unit, turning the handles 1 in opposite directions, gradually twists the connecting member until it reaches a rigid torqued position as shown in FIG. 3. Reversing the turning motion of the handles creates the same resistance in the opposite direction. This alternately turning of the handles to twist the connecting member creates a graduated increase of resistance to the muscles involved to eifect their development.

As can be seen, a little force is needed to start the twisting motions, but as the connecting member becomes more twisted the resistance increases until it reaches an immovable torqued position. This graduated increase of resist- 3,069,161 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 ance gives the person the choice of contracting his muscles to their maximum degree for development, using the same unit regardless of the strength of the person.

An additional resistance feature of this unit is that the rubber balls can be squeezed by the fingers at the same time they are turned, which increases the resistance of the unit further in operation without adjustments or the addition or changing of connecting members. The round handles also allow a revolving adjustment of the grip on them to eflfect different angled tensions. FIG. 4 is a modification of the handles 9 formed of plastic or rubber and the connecting member 6 a band of spring steel or something similar, showing different shaped handles of hard materials with a slot formed in the center to secure the ends of a connecting member. The materials used are optional to obtain the desired function.

FIG. 5 is a section on line 55 of FIG. 4 through the connecting member showing the slot 7 in the handle 9 into which the connecting member can be secured permanently or removably.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An arm, wrist and hand exercising and development unit comprising a pair of spaced apart handles to be gripped and held in the hands of an exerciser, and a connecting member extending between the handles and affixed at each of its ends to the confronting side of a handle, said connecting member having a solid, resilient, homogeneous body of uniform thickness throughout its longitudinal extent that is twisted into a progressively increased torqued condition upon manually produced counter-rotation of the handles, the resilient body of the said connecting member being capable of resisting a full, manually developed torque within the counter-rotational limits reached by twisting the handles through less than one revolution.

2. An exercising unit comprising a pair of spaced apart handles each having a solid, resilient and homogeneous body of spherical configuration to be gripped by the hands of an exerciser, a connecting member extending between and of one-piece with the handles, said connecting member being aifixed at each of its ends to the confronting side of a handle, and said connecting member having a solid, resilient, and homogeneous body throughout its longitudinal extent that is twisted into a progressively increased torqued condition upon manually produced counter-rotation of the handles.

3. An exercising unit comprising a pair of spaced apart handles to be gripped by the hands of an exerciser, a connecting member having the configuration of a flat strip extending between the handles and affixed at each of its ends to the confronting side of a handle, and said connecting member having a solid, resilient and homogeneous body throughout its longitudinal extent that is twisted into a progressively increased torqued condition upon manually produced counter-rotation of the handles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 684,117 Sloan Oct. 8, 1901 784,367 Williams Mar. 7, 1905 814,570 Stockdell Mar. 6, 1906 1,749,632 Ferris Mar. 4, 1930 1,918,142 Smith July 11, 1933 1,962,971 Schipper June 12, 1934 2,664,289 Norwich Dec. 29, 1953 

